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Bank of America Travel Rewards Guide
A flat 1.5 points per dollar, no annual fee, and no blackout dates. Here's everything the Travel Rewards card offers.
October 25, 2026
A flat 1.5 points per dollar, no annual fee, and no blackout dates. Here's everything the Travel Rewards card offers.
October 25, 2026
The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card is built around simplicity. You get one flat earning rate, no bonus categories to track, and no annual fee or foreign transaction fees eating into what you earn. It's aimed at people who travel and dine out often enough to want points, but don't want to manage a rewards program to get them. Here's how the card works, from earning through redemption.
Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Annual Fee | $0 |
Foreign Transaction Fee | $0 |
Rewards Rate | Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on everyday purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through BofA Travel. |
Welcome Bonus | 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases. |
Intro APR | 0% for 15 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers made within 60 days |
Standard APR After Intro | 17.74% - 27.74% |
Credit Score Needed | 670-850 (Good to Excellent) |
Flat earning rate: Everyday purchases earn the same unlimited 1.5 points per dollar, whether it's a grocery run or a coffee, and travel booked through BofA Travel earns 3 points per dollar.
No categories or spending caps: There are no rotating categories to activate and no spending caps on how much you can earn.
No expiration: Points don't expire as long as the account remains open, so there's no pressure to redeem them on any particular schedule.
Points redeem as a statement credit toward travel and dining purchases, including flights, hotel stays, vacation rentals, baggage fees, and restaurants with takeout included. There's no fixed booking portal and no blackout dates. You book wherever you'd normally book, then use points to offset the charge once it posts.
That flexibility is the card's biggest practical advantage over rewards programs that require booking through a specific travel site. Each point redeemed for a travel or dining statement credit is worth $0.01, so 25,000 points equals $250.
Many cardholders leave rewards unused, but experts say that's a mistake.
Redeeming points is always a better value than not using them or waiting for the perfect opportunity because the value is ultimately in the experience that the points make possible. You should try to use your points well so you can stretch them further, but accumulating points is a tool, not the end goal, so it's important to keep that in mind.
The Bank of America Travel Rewards card is a good fit for someone early in their credit journey who's still learning their spending habits and building credit.
It isn't a highly rewarding card, but it's simple. You earn a flat 1.5 points per dollar on everything, and you can book travel however you want without going through a portal or worrying about blackout dates. Because there's no foreign transaction fee, it also works well as an everyday card on international trips. For most people, though, the BoA Travel Rewards card is mainly a starter card. Points are worth only 1 cent each when redeemed for travel and dining, and less than that as a cash statement credit.
New cardholders can earn a welcome bonus of 25,000 points offer after making at least $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days of opening the account. That works out to a $250 statement credit toward travel or dining purchases, on a card with no annual fee to offset.
Chasing bonuses can lead to unnecessary overspending, says Patrick Yaghoobians, a certified financial planner and founder of Noor Financial Services. So you'll want to be careful.
The $1,000 minimum breaks down to roughly $333 a month, which seems doable if you put recurring bills and everyday purchases on the card. You can also time opening the Travel Rewards card with a big-ticket purchase or a period when you're more inclined to spend.
Expert Take: When Yaghoobians moved out of his parents' home, he knew he would be buying a lot of stuff for the new place, so he opened a new card and took advantage of a big bonus from spending that was going to happen regardless.
The card charges a $0 annual fee and $0 in foreign transaction fees, which matters if you use it while traveling internationally. Many travel cards waive one fee but not the other. This one waives both.
New accounts get 0% APR for the first 15 billing cycles on purchases, and on balance transfers made within the first 60 days of opening the account.
Balance transfers carry a 3% intro fee during that same 60-day window, rising to 5% for any transfers made afterward. Once the intro period ends, an APR of 17.74% - 27.74% applies to any remaining balance.
The Travel Rewards card targets applicants with good to excellent credit, generally a FICO Score of 670 or higher. Bank of America also weighs income, existing debt, and recent credit inquiries alongside your score.
This card is built for people who travel or eat out often enough to want points, but who'd rather not track spending categories, pay an annual fee, or book through a specific portal to get value.
If you want a straightforward, no-cost way to turn everyday spending into travel and dining credits, this card fits.
This card is best for someone who values simplicity above all else and travels internationally often enough to benefit from no foreign transaction fees, such as a college student or someone newer to credit cards who plans to use it as their main card for a while.
If you travel frequently and want airport lounge access, airline-specific perks, or a much larger sign-up bonus, a premium annual-fee travel card will likely get you more value. "For anyone serious about travel, or anyone who wants to optimize their rewards by holding multiple cards, there are much better options," says Romito.
This card generally isn't ideal unless you simply like Bank of America or want to start building credit with them. "For everyone else, other cards from other banks make more sense because they offer better earn rates for the same $0 annual fee, the same lack of foreign transaction fees, better cash-out options, and sometimes transfer partners," says Yoon.
If you already have status in Bank of America's BofA Rewards™ program, which requires liquid assets through either Bank of America or Merrill Lynch, this is the main exception. "With status, the earn rate rises to roughly 1.65% to 2.62% per $1 on all purchases.
At the top tier of 2.62%, that's one of the highest flat earn rates available on a no-annual-fee card, but requires a lot in liquid assets with the bank to qualify for that tier," says Yoon.
Not every purchase pattern favors a travel card. If groceries, gas, or a single everyday category make up more of your spending than travel and dining do, a flat or category-based cash-back card, like Unlimited Cash Rewards or Customized Cash Rewards, may earn you more day to day. The Travel Rewards card makes the most sense when travel and dining are already where a meaningful share of your spending goes.
For a closer look at how the two approaches compare, it's worth comparing travel rewards credit cards against cash-back options directly.
Does the Travel Rewards card charge foreign transaction fees?
No. It charges $0 in foreign transaction fees, in addition to no annual fee.
How much is the welcome bonus worth?
25,000 points offer, equal to a $250 statement credit toward travel or dining purchases, after spending at least $1,000 in the first 90 days.
Can I only book through Bank of America's travel portal?
No. There's no fixed portal or blackout dates. Book flights, hotels, or rentals anywhere, then redeem points as a statement credit afterward.
What credit score do I need to qualify?
Generally, a FICO Score of 670 or higher.
Fact-checked by Jackie Lam, a credit card writer for BestMoney.com based in Los Angeles. She's an accredited AFC® financial counselor and educator with a passion for helping artists, freelancers, and gig economy workers manage their finances. Her writing has appeared in a range of publications throughout her career.
Bank of America: Travel Rewards credit card product page, current welcome offer, rewards rate, and terms
Bank of America: Travel Rewards terms and conditions
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